Letters from the Issue of October 18, 2007

"We thought we were going to see the end of Chávez. Unfortunately the revolt didn't work, and now I know why."

Showing the human side: Janine Zeitlin, I love you! You made me cry in your article "Guarimba!" (October 11). You have the ability to exactly portray my feelings and allow people to grab the emotions and sorrow, as well as the love and commitment, involved. Thank you very much. You showed my husband Robert Alonso's family and the human side that he has always had, no matter what trouble he is getting into.

Siomara Alonso

Via Web Commentary

Gimme more: After reading "Guarimba!" by Janine Zeitlin, I felt like I didn't have enough! What a great story. My congratulations to her and all of you.

Tim Grator

Via Web Commentary

Kudos from one who was there: I was in Venezuela during La Guarimba. We couldn't get out of our hotel (Hotel Tamanaco), from which we had a great view of a large part of Caracas. It was very exciting watching from the hotel, on top of a hill. We thought we were going to see the end of Chávez right there. Unfortunately the revolt didn't work, and now I know why. I have read a lot about La Guarimba and Alonso, but "Guarimba!" is the best article I have read about him.

Rigoberto Rodríguez

Via Web Commentary

A fan of the family: Regarding "Guarimba!": ¡Viva la familia Alonso!

Mario Nova

Via Web Commentary

Up Is Down

You got lucky: I think Lee Klein was really lucky in the meals he ate for his October 11 review of Talula ("Upscale Downplayed"). In the past year, the food has really gone down ... and the service has vanished. I used to send visitors and newcomers there but have gotten bad reports in the past six months, in addition to my personal experience.

Brenda Ellis

South Beach

Words Count

Articulate messenger: I've heard this story many times in my work with the Women's Fund of Miami-Dade, but never as eloquently as P. Scott Cunningham told it in his October 11 stage review, "From the Inside Out," about Eve Ensler's Any One of Us: Words from Prison: Miami. Thank you.

Tiffany Zientz Heckler

Miami

Pesky Plastic

Bag banners, unite: Thank you, Tamara Lush, for including the Urban Environment Report in your article "Bash the Bags" (October 11), which perfectly reflects the damage that plastic bags cause to the environment.

Raquel Garcia, communications and marketing associate

Earth Day Network

Washington, D.C.

Burrito Confidential

It's not all sunny: In the October 4 issue, Lee Klein wrote a glowing review of the Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant chain ("The Ethical Burrito"). While Chipotle CEO Steve Ells is widely being held up as the poster boy for "revolutionizing" the fast-food world, he has a dark and dirty secret.

Chipotle restaurants might do the right thing when it comes to their meat and dairy, but what about the vegetables? The chain has long been sourcing a staple — tomatoes — from the sweatshop fields of South Florida, where workers live in poverty to pick tomatoes for Chipotle.

The company has turned a blind eye to this glaring contradiction. Even its less savvy cohorts, McDonald's and Taco Bell, have agreed to address the widely documented abuses occurring in the fields of Immokalee and other towns just a few hours' drive from us. It makes me question whether "Food with Integrity" is a slogan Chipotle really believes, or yet another slick and hollow marketing catch phrase designed to cash in on a trend.

Molly Stentz

Miami

Fine Review

About a fine film about a fine fish: Frank Houston's "Go in the Sharkwater" (September 27) was an honest review of an honest film. Yes, Sharkwater has its flaws, but nonetheless the message is true and the filmmaker is honest; he's trying to change people's perception and save the shark from man's ignorance. While he is young, writer/director Rob Stewart still believes he can make a difference — something you and I have probably given up on. Thank you for an honest review of the movie, something I'm sure is not the norm in most circles these days. It seems that most movies only entertain the youth, yet perhaps with reviews like yours, this movie will have a chance at reaching some of those young minds that can make a difference.

Brian Stewart, Rob's dad

Via Web Commentary

Good Cop, Bad Reporter

It's just business: After reading Tamara Lush's September 20 cover story, "America's Worst Cop," I was very disappointed. In my opinion, her one-sided story was nothing more than an undeserved rip job. It was obvious she has an ax to grind, or is just practicing shock journalism.

As an example, she missed the point regarding business travel. For high-level leaders like Timoney, in both the public and private sectors, business travel is a must. Timoney's networking with various groups locally, regionally, and nationally is necessary in today's business world. Learning what others have accomplished in their police departments, and how they instituted those accomplishments, can only improve the Miami Police Department.